2017 Rhys "Alpine Vineyard" Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir
SKU #1490815
94 points
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard comes from a mostly southwest-facing vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains (planted to a heritage selection of clones) and was brought up in a mix of new and used French oak. It offers a complex, nuanced style that carries lots of spiced red fruits, forest floor, smoked earth, potpourri, and a touch of sassafras and sagebrush. Complex, medium-bodied, silky, and beautifully balanced on the palate, it checks in behind the 2015 and 2016 but is nevertheless a beautiful, elegant, seamless Pinot Noir that's going to evolve nicely for over 10-15 years.
(10/2019)
94 points
John Gilman
The 2017 Alpine Vineyard bottling of pinot noir from Kevin Harvey, Jeff Brinkman and their team at Rhys is flat out gorgeous in this vintage. The bouquet is already hitting on all cylinders, wafting from the glass in a complex and elegant blend of black cherries, black plums, dark chocolate, complex soil tones, a touch of pigeon, lovely spice tones, a dollop of new wood and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is very pure, refined and full-bodied, with lovely sappiness down at the core, excellent mineral drive, blossoming complexity, fine-grained tannins and a long, vibrant and very classy finish. This is a great pinot noir in the making. 94+
(7/2019)
93 points
Allen Meadows - Burghound
This too is markedly reserved and requires aggressive swirling to liberate the elegant and pure aromas of essence of red raspberry and beautifully spice and floral-scented nose. The middle weight flavors are not as concentrated or powerful as those of the Alpine Hillside yet they are much finer, indeed the word lilting comes to mind, while the dusty, focused and serious finish delivers excellent persistence. This is a wine of finesse and refinement and about the only reproach is that more depth needs to develop with time in bottle. If elegance is what you search for in fine pinot, look no further. *Outstanding*
(1/2020)
92 points
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard is pale to medium ruby-purple and scented of woodsmoke, dried herbs, moss-covered bark, peppered meats, black cherries and blackberries with potpourri, nutmeg and blue fruit hints. The palate is light to medium-bodied with a silky texture and earthy fruits, supported with finely grained tannins and juicy acidity, finishing long and spicy. (EB)
(2/2020)
92 points
Vinous
The 2017 Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard is soft, open-knit and absolutely delicious. Crushed flowers, mint, blood orange, crushed red berries, chalk and white pepper are all very nicely lifted. The 2017 is airy and gracious, with lovely aromatic lift and tons of personality. The 2017 is especially suave. It is another pretty wine, very much in the lighter style of the year. (AG)
(10/2019)